The Education Department at AGMA has evolved immensely over the last two years. You may have already heard or seen in last month’s issue that AGMA has accredited education courses. After a rigorous evaluation application process, we were awarded our status by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). You may even be asking yourself, “What does that mean? What is the value of an accredited program?” In order to provide leadership and resources to the industry, we realized that gear education is a critical part of the industry professional’s sustainability and growth.
AGMA has offered education courses for the last 25 years. The instructors who pioneered these efforts did an outstanding job at building the framework for where we are today and in the achievement of accreditation. The Basic Training for Gear Manufacturing, Gear Failure Analysis, and Design courses were a part of these pioneered efforts and have evolved over the years through course improvements based on instructor expertise, best practices, and student feedback. Today, AGMA offers a growing number of courses in various formats that not only include the advanced gear engineering courses, but also courses that will address basic and intermediate professional development needs.
The accreditation process is one where there is an evaluation of course construction, learning objectives, assessment of learning, policies in place, student records, and the overall organization’s ability to sustain such a program. Our application was reviewed by education and training professionals who have extensive experience and credentials in adult education and evaluated programs for the commission for more than 15 years. They were impressed with AGMA and just as enamored as I am with the education content we offer our members.
Again, what does this mean? It means that we are an internationally recognized continuing- and professional-education program. We are a part of a peer group of accredited training organizations that include other associations, corporate training companies, and colleges and universities that also seek to have their continuing education programs accredited with the IACET gold standard. We are committing to a process of continuous improvement and accountability to the organization and to our industry.
Training dollars in any corporation are a precious commodity. They reside in an environment where, if there is a need to cut the budget, those dollars are the first to go. We realize that, and we don’t take your investment in your employees for granted. We took the step in becoming accredited to show you we are serious about the business of education and training. Creating opportunities for your employees to earn official continuing education units (CEUs) and for the professional engineers (PEs) to have the ability to report accredited learning opportunities for licensure.
We are staying the course of continuous improvement in the education department. Due to the nature of the extensive content we offer, we have positioned ourselves to move to the next level. In addition to offering CEUs, we are strongly considering acquiring the next level of accreditation that will allow our students — your employees — to earn college credit for attending the AGMA gear education courses. There is nothing more exciting than that. So, stay tuned. In the meantime, we’d love to hear from you. Please send your feedback, comments, and suggestions to education@agma.org. We are always listening. We couldn’t be where we are if we weren’t!
The technical reason to become an AGMA member
It is important to get the most out of your association. AGMA offers a great deal of member benefits, and over the next couple of issues, we would like to highlight some of them. First and foremost, we want to discuss many of the technical benefits of AGMA membership. Standards are a part of the DNA that makes up AGMA, and it is the foundation of what we do. It is important that gear industry companies and professionals know the benefits of our technical division.
Did You Know?
AGMA members have free access to gearing standards. AGMA has helped to set national gearing standards since 1916. The association serves as a focal point within the United States for the development of ISO gearing standards.
Today, this work is carried out by 23 active technical committees. AGMA standards address nearly all the critical gearing topics from load capacity and lubrication to accuracy and inspection.
Members have access to all of these standards for free as part of their membership. Each year, the member company will receive a free set of the most up-to-date standards.
Did You Know?
Members get the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with the best minds in the industry and to be a part of the active process of standard development. By joining a technical committee, you will gain better insights into the latest technology and into the competition and the markets you serve along with potential suppliers.
As an active committee member, you will also learn about and study various technical subjects related to gear design, manufacture, and operation that are important to career development and your company’s future.
Did You Know?
AGMA members receive discounts when they sign up to attend one of the most prestigious gearing conferences in the world. The Fall Technical Meeting is the premier place to share the latest research in the gear industry on design, analysis, manufacturing, and application of gears, as well as associated processes and procedures.
Speakers share findings from their technical papers that have been through a rigorous double-blind peer review of three industry topic experts. Being a member will allow you to connect and network with these experts on a level that goes beyond the technical meeting and into all the functions that AGMA hosts throughout the year.
If you are interested in becoming an AGMA member and working with our staff and many gear experts from around the world, please visit: www.agma.org/membership/application/. If you would like to speak with someone further, please contact Membership Director Jill Johnson at jill.johnson@agma.org.
Upcoming Courses
Detailed Gear Design
May 8–10 | Detroit, Michigan
This course explores all factors going into good gear design from life cycle, load, torque, tooth optimization, and evaluating consequences. An in-depth discussion of real-life gear failures is provided. Students should have a good understanding of basic gear theory and nomenclature.
Gear Failure Analysis
June 19–21 | St. Louis, Missouri
Explore gear failure analysis in this hands–on seminar where students not only see slides of failed gears but can hold and examine those same field samples close up. Experience the use of the microscope and how to take your own contact pattern from field samples.
Gear Manufacturing and Inspection
July 10–12 | Ontario, Canada
Learn key factors in the inspection process that lead to better gear design. Develop a broad understanding of the methods used to manufacture and inspect gears. Discover how the resultant information can be applied and interpreted in the design process.
This course is accompanied by a tour of a gear manufacturer. The tour for 2018 will be at Ontario Drive and Gear.
Join AGMA and IHS Markit for the Marketing & Forecasting Webinar
May 17 | 2–4 p.m.
AGMA is now offering the benefits of the Marketing & Forecasting information right from your office chair. Join AGMA and IHS Markit for a two-hour webinar on May 17. During this webinar, Tom Runiewicz will be presenting the findings from the Gear Market Report. The Gear Market Report provides information on U.S. economic conditions, industry conditions for gears, gear market bookings, and gear market shipments. Hear from the experts on how the latest information will have an impact on your business.
